Discipleship has been a buzz word for a long time. Thousands of books and articles have been written and hundreds of conferences have been attended, all as part of a growing movement of people trying to put the pieces of discipleship together. Even with all this information available, the most common question asked to our Glocal Mission team is, “How do I start?”

We are often asked this by experienced, seasoned leaders and pastors who either realize their ministries do not resemble Jesus’ ministry, or after all the years of hard work, they do not see strong followers of Jesus in their congregations. Robert Coleman says, “You can’t separate the teachingsof Jesus from the methods of Jesus and expect the resultsof Jesus.”

It’s not very difficult to see the differences between Jesus’ ministry and the typical church today. Consider the following three examples:

Jesus focused on people and discipleship.

Many churches focus on programs.

Jesus was constantly on the road and in people’s homes.

They spend their time at church hoping people will come.

Because Jesus’ discipleship was highly relational, his teaching transformed their lives.

Void of relationship, their teaching is often general information which doesn’t lead to transformation.

The ministry of Jesus was stunningly beautiful in its simplicity. He chose 12 men, poured His heart and soul into them for three and a half years and then commissioned them to do the same. For instance, in John 17:9, 20 Jesus said, “9I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me (referring to the twelve disciples) … 20“I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me (for the sake of all lost people) through their word” (ESV, emphasis and interpretation added).

We have heard this so many times that we miss one vitally essential component – the starting point. Ask yourself, “How did Jesus start discipleship?” He began with unbelievers.

What comes to mind when you read that? The facts are pretty clear and compelling. With the exception of Andrew and one other who were John the Baptist’s followers (John 1:35-37), the rest were unsaved men that Jesus called to follow Him. The disciples began the same way after Jesus’ ascension. Do you think when they received the Great Commission, they looked around the circle and said, “Ok, Peter, you disciple Andrew. John, you’ve got Matthew.”? No, they actually went into the world, preached the Gospel to the lost and discipled the found!

The Great Commission is a task of unparalleled importance and daunting magnitude. We are called to make disciples of ALL NATIONS including 5 billion people in the world literally going into hell without a relationship with Jesus Christ. Among those 5 billion include 3.06 billion who have never heard the gospel. These incomprehensible numbers demand the church to align itself with the true nature of the Great Commission to carry on Jesus’ mission of seeking the lost and discipling the found. We cannot simply turn inward and invite church members to attend a workshop or class. We must turn intentionally outward with great urgency just as Jesus did when He began. We must begin with the unbelievers in our midst.

Developing the perspective and urgency can seem intimidating, Glocal Mission has sought to simplify this process by developing the 5-3-1 Action Card to help us focus on the great task of reaching the lost. This is an amazing tool that leads you to Five Actions, Three People and One Disciple.

Five Actions

INTERCEDE regularly for lost people in your life.

IDENTIFY three people that do not know Jesus as their Lord and Savior.

INVEST in building a relationship with each of them.

INVITE them to know Jesus personally.

INVOLVE them in the life of the church and in the discipleship process.

Three People

Write the names of three people who you are willing to take the five actions with. This is very simple and yet essential.

One Disciple

Of the three people you are praying for, identify one of them as a person you can begin to disciple.

“God, we have become distracted and have busied ourselves with so many things that we have forgotten what breaks your heart. We have made the Great Commission a Great Omission comprised of programs and classes. We have not diligently and intentionally taken your Word to those who are lost. Please forgive us Father. Please break our heart for that which breaks yours. Give us the courage to realign ourselves with your mission. Let us begin today with the end in mind without compromising the Gospel. In Jesus name, amen.”

Are you willing to rethink discipleship? Are you willing to begin seeking the lost and discipling the found? We invite you to click here, download the resource, and get started. We would love to pray for you and walk with you as you begin this journey. Send us a note and keep us updated. We want to hear all the great things God does through you!

Do you want to SEEK the lost, DISCIPLE the found and MULTIPLY disciple makers and churches? WE CAN HELP!

The Glocal Mission Team brings a wealth of experience and resources to help individuals and congregations become intentional about Evangelism, Discipleship and Multiplication.

How can we help you and your ministry/congregation?

We have disciple-making catalyst leaders/coaches who are trained to help you. We will walk alongside you until you become a fully competent and holistic disciple maker in your Head, Heart, Hands and Habit.

We can send a guest speaker to your church or lead a Catalyst Discipleship Conference at your church.

To find out more about our coaching ministry and how we can help you and your church or ministry, contact us below.

Contact Us

David is founder and lead pastor of Glocal Mission supervising and coaching pastors of over 30+ mission congregations composed of 35+ nationalities and in 15+ different languages. David also serves as adjunct professor at Concordia University Irvine CA and Concordia Seminary St Louis MO.

"Love your neighbor as yourself" (cf. Mark 12:31) One of the most quoted Bible verses of all time. It is written on the backs of letterman jackets, on the sides of decorative vases, pens, pencils, t-shirts, and even tattooed on thousands of people every year. But what...

Share and Print: 1. I will spend time daily in the Word of God and in prayer. As you spend time with God, you will inevitably hear His heart for you, your neighbors, and the nations. The more we know Him, the more we will love Him. The more we love Him, the more our...

Share and Print: he Christian’s call to reach a lost world is deeply rooted in the heart of God. Throughout the pages of Scripture, the beautiful narrative of God’s pursuit of relationship with His creation unfolds before us. One such example is...

110 Glocal Ways to Reach Your Community

Everywhere you go today, you see great need—hunger, sickness, loneliness, crime, despair, and most certainly spiritual need. If one has a desire to help, and to make a difference, it can be overwhelming. Who should I help first? Can I really make a difference if I feed one hungry person? What if they brought all this on themselves? These are hard questions. If you throw in theological questions like, “Which is more important, physical or spiritual needs?”, it can get even muddier.

The body of Christ has wrestled with this for decades. Glocal Mission believes that a person’s spiritual need for Christ is of paramount importance and must be addressed, but we also believe we misrepresent the heart of God, and fail to understand our role as believers if we ignore, or minimize, tangible physical need. “If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? “ James 2:15-16

We developed 110 Glocal Ways to Reach Your Community as a holistic tool to help us be missionaries in our backyard who meet physical needs and effectively communicate the Gospel. This strategy has three very simple steps. We call this Good, Better, Best.

Good – Make a Difference

The church needs to be in the community as we represent the God who came to seek and save the lost. One way to get out into your community is to take a close look at those who live near you and ask God to show you some of the physical needs that you can meet. “Do not neglect to do good, and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God” Hebrews 13:16

Does the community have a large elderly population? Are there a lot of single parent families? Are there immigrants in your community that need help learning English? We created 110 Glocal Ways to Reach Your Community to give you tons of different ideas ranging from running a sports camp to setting up a food pantry to hosting ESL classes. Some of the ideas work well for children and some for adults. Our mission churches have successfully implemented many of these ideas and found they are effective ways to make a difference in someone else’s life.

Better- Make Relationships

Once you have prayerfully chosen the activity or service you will provide, you will need a plan for building relationships with those you will serve. This is so obvious and yet many times forgotten. It’s not because we are uncaring or lazy, but it’s forgotten because we are not intentional about it. We get busy serving and helping and don’t have the time to actually get to know the people God is sending to us. Has that ever happened to you? We coach our mission churches to put people in place whose exclusive role is to meet and greet. Dedicate one part of the team to serve while the other part gets to know the people on a first-name, personal basis. This makes an incredible difference! One church calls this the “side by side” team. Many times this team also serves as prayer intercessors. It’s a beautiful way for the body of Christ to work together as the servants serve and the relational people build relationships.

Best – Make Disciples

At the end of the day, our mandate from God is to Make Disciples! The old saying, “People don’t care what you know until they know how much you care” applies here. As trust is established, relationships are built, and some effort has been made to alleviate an immediate need, hearts become much more open to the Gospel. As important as it is to meet a need, we must keep in mind that words are needed in order for someone to come to faith. “…how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? …So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” Romans 10:14,17.

Loving actions by themselves are not enough. We must reflect the loving compassion of God with our actions and speak the saving truth of the great Gospel of Jesus Christ with our mouths. Intentionality is required here as well. How will the Gospel be shared? Who will follow up with the visitors?

When Good, Better, Best is functioning properly, the body of Christ is most effective. Believers with many different gifts and talents find a place of involvement and work together to advance the Kingdom of God by making a difference, making relationships, and making disciples.

If you would like more information on 110 Glocal Ways to Reach Your Community, please contact us below.

Do you want to SEEK the lost, DISCIPLE the found and MULTIPLY disciple makers and churches? WE CAN HELP!

The Glocal Mission Team brings a wealth of experience and resources to help individuals and congregations become intentional about Evangelism, Discipleship and Multiplication.

How can we help you and your ministry/congregation?

We have disciple-making catalyst leaders/coaches who are trained to help you. We will walk alongside you until you become a fully competent and holistic disciple maker in your Head, Heart, Hands and Habit.

We can send a guest speaker to your church or lead a Catalyst Discipleship Conference at your church.

To find out more about our coaching ministry and how we can help you and your church or ministry, contact us below.

Contact Us

David is founder and lead pastor of Glocal Mission supervising and coaching pastors of over 30+ mission congregations composed of 35+ nationalities and in 15+ different languages. David also serves as adjunct professor at Concordia University Irvine CA and Concordia Seminary St Louis MO.

"Love your neighbor as yourself" (cf. Mark 12:31) One of the most quoted Bible verses of all time. It is written on the backs of letterman jackets, on the sides of decorative vases, pens, pencils, t-shirts, and even tattooed on thousands of people every year. But what...

Share and Print: 1. I will spend time daily in the Word of God and in prayer. As you spend time with God, you will inevitably hear His heart for you, your neighbors, and the nations. The more we know Him, the more we will love Him. The more we love Him, the more our...

Share and Print: he Christian’s call to reach a lost world is deeply rooted in the heart of God. Throughout the pages of Scripture, the beautiful narrative of God’s pursuit of relationship with His creation unfolds before us. One such example is...